What Will Come
by SinDRegrets911
Summary: It was a rope. Just a rope; yet her eyes were wide and her heart stopped. There was blood. "Sasuke," her mind halted before she began to run. Her teammates called to her, but she continued on; away from her village, away from her family, away from her friends, and away from their pleas. She was fulfilling a choice she made long ago. Sequel to What Once Was. SasukexOC


**Disclaimer: I do not own what is not mine.**

Sequel to _**What Once Was**_. Although it is not required that you read the previous series in order to read this one.

* * *

Metal dug into her wrists and neck, ice to the touch. Her head was held low; beaten and broken, again and again. Coated in dried blood, locks of dark hair clung to her neck and face before falling limply before her subdued pose.

A heartbeat still rand within her, but no one seemed to be home. Thoughts came slowly and comprehension came slower.

Darkness surrounded her, her only constant comfort; yet, she felt cold and empty. Why always so cold?

Her fingers twitched, itching to hold onto... something? Tears left her blank gaze. There was nothing left to hold, protect. What was left of her heart dripped regret and agony.

She was in he home, the place she vowed to protect with her every breath. She was with the citizens she cared about; but they were the ones to mare her flesh. Here, her home became prison.

**x.x.x.X.x.x.x.**

His eyes traveled word for word, from scroll to scroll, in an eased yet quick fashion. His breath remained even all the same; yet, San could only recall the bloodlust that used to exist behind the calm gaze. None-the-less, she remained patient, gazing to and from the man behind the desk.

"My apologies about the inconvenient timing," Gaara explained as he continued to shuffle through the wording of the scrolls before finally reaching the end. With a nod of satisfaction, he set the two parchments down and reached for his seal.

"No worries," San spoke from beside the small window, just high enough for her gaze, "I understand the commotion of the past few months." She pushed herself off the wall to approach the Kazekage as he applied his seal.

"The treaty is complete," he spoke calmly, as they both eyed the newly applied red mark upon the parchment. San bowed lowly, accepting one of the scrolls from the boy that used to make her skin itch in paranoia. He regarded her behavior before standing to place his copy of the treaty among the many other village documents.

This treaty had been put on hold for a few years, initiated by Gaara's administration. Of course, the Soyogakura Council pushed for the treaty to be signed and done with to end the long conflict between the villages. Yet, events always seemed to get in the way; not limited to wars, deaths, and depressions.

"You seem to be doing well," he spoke softly, closing the cabinet. "You could say that," she responded after securing the scroll on her side. "Life has been quite fast as of lately."

Gaara nodded once more, understanding her statement, "I'd like to formally give me condolences on your loss." He spoke evenly, walking to stand in front of her.

"And on behalf of Soyo-"

"I speak of the Uchiha, of course," he deadpanned her, continuing to cast his masked stare. Her breath did not stop, but her heart nearly did. Her face remained calm, but her gaze turned to the wind beaten window. The skyline of Suna was clearly visible, despite the seemingly never-ending dust storm that existed around the village.

"I can't say that I deserve that comment," she spoke with care, holding in a sigh. How long was she going to lie on behalf of him? How long was she going to keep him to herself?

They had only found his blade, surrounded in a massacre of blood and bodies, none of which belonged to the heir of the Uchiha legacy. She could barely feel her own pulse at this point as the dust and wind pushed against all obstacles. "But thank you," she acknowledged and turned for the door after giving a deep bow, pushing the memories of the rustling leaves in the wind away.

**x.X.x**

She wondered how long it had been with a frown. A few weeks, possibly a month...

"_I'll be back..."_

But how long? Her brows knotted together before she gazed upon the foreign land before her: Suna no Sato, the origin of her people. Yet, taking a breath of the dry air, she could not detect any similarities in the wind.

Her home was lush where mountain and ocean met, creating godly winds that would forever dart from hill to mountain. Here, she thought with a sigh, the wind had not smell, no meaning. Just dust...

Her brow was upon her palm and her eyes stare out the window but her mind was far off.

It had been a month since she had last seen or hear from him. Her frown deepened as her arm fell from the window ceil, lifelessly. Time passed too quickly when they met; yet too slow when apart.

'_He's busy,'_ she thought to herself in reassurance; but it was like setting a new hawk out for the first time, unsure of if it will ever return, if it will just get injured, if it will forget it's way home, if it...

She shoved herself away from the window, standing in place with a glare. She could not think about such nonsense when she is to leave in less than an hour. But, taking a look around her motel room, she found it nearly bare. All her sparse belongings were already packed away on her person.

Banging at the door stole her away from herself. "Oi," they spoke from the other side, "You going to open the door or what?"

Making her way to the door, San gave a long sigh before forming a smirk and opening the door. "Or what?" She asked with a smirk, barley missing the door coming flying back at her.

Temari leaned in through the open door to find San leaning on the wall beside the door nonchalantly, smirk still evident. Both girls stared one another down before simultaneously mirroring one another's grin.

"As much as I love our "smart-girl-talk," I have orders to kick ya out of the village," she crossed her arms with her weight on her hip. San gave a shrug, rebalancing her stance without the wall before flipping her bag around her shoulders and turning to the blond. "Whatever you say, Pigtails. I have better things to do than choke on the sand here."

Temari gave a snort and San couldn't help but recall when she very well could have choked on the sand manipulated by Gaara.

"Oh, whatever," Temari turned on her heel, expecting San to follow suit, "Let's get you out of here so both of us can breathe a bit easier." A light laugh omitted from her curved lips, before San began to trail after the older woman. She didn't look back, just forward.

**x.X.x**

The terrain changed from thin desert sand to thick forest as San made her way out of wind country to her village: Soyogakura no Sato.

She could almost smell the sweeter air, such a change from the dry and dead wind from Suna. But, she did appreciate seeing the residence of the desert village: Temari and Gaara. One of the only pros of being the intervillage ambassador, other than dealing with the council of witches and vampires, was the ability to travel from village to village seeing old friends as a side perk.

However, she wasn't going to deny that sometimes it was painful. Especially when crossing the gates to Konoha. One would think that after the mends with her heart, it would be easier to breath inside the village; but it was worse.

Before, at least she didn't have to lie to their faces about what she knew, most of the time... Now, it could hardly be called equivocating.

San threw herself further into the treetops, closer to the blue sky. Was she lying to her friends and family for _him_, or _herself_?

A hawk circled above, trailing her. San halted upon a branch, narrowing her vision upon the approaching bird. "Hashi," she spoke, holding her arm out having the messenger hawk easily land on her shoulder. His weight held her down but her heart lifted.

"What do you have for me?" She asked him, untying the small package around his talons. After unfolding it several times, she revealed a clear map with a location dotted in red. No notes, descriptions, or words. Just a map. It was the first notion that Sasuke even remembered her after a month.

"What have you been up to?" She questioned, gazing at the enticing red. She could be furious for treating her as a call girl; yet, she only found relief that he hadn't gotten himself killed or forgot about her. The hawk upon her shoulder shifted, reminding her of reality.

Her sensei and the village council would be expecting her arrival. She couldn't just take a detour, could she? Still, the worry of what he has done in her absence nagger her. Sure, he still had his goal, ambition; but what else?

"Well, Hashi," she sighed, gazing upon the majestic bird of prey, "north to home or east?" His large, golden eye bore back to her before taking flight between the trees: east.

**x.X.x.**

The trail was overgrown, only adding to untouched beauty of the forest. It was wild, a mix of old and new trees of various origins. Her feet somehow knew the way after only a glance at the map. She slid down the hills, into the valley where the elder trees grew in bunches and streams rippled through the boulders into rivers.

"_Father, look! A bird!" A child ran through the massive forest, pointing at the nests of falcons. _

"_Yes, now be careful, Sanzen. They could easily pluck you right up and feed you to their young." He trailed after her in a steady pace. His dark haired daughter turned her pouting grey eyes towards him. _

"_No, they will not." She countered with the resolution, of what he would say, her mother. "They only eat bad kids. And I'm a good one."_

_With a steady smile, the man picked her up, allowing her to perch upon his shoulder. "Only if you hurry up. Otherwise you'll make your mother worry and then both of us will become bird food." They chuckled, continuing down the unseen path._

She halted upon a cabin of sorts. It was an older style with rice paper screens, still intact, and wooden frames, still strong. There once was a maple tree in the center year, but now only remained a barren stick from loneliness.

"So," San's attention whipped around her, "you did come." He emerged from the trees with crossed arms. He adorned a dark cloak with the same masked expression he left with.

Her hip cocked to the side as she sent the approaching man a glare, "You had a doubt?" Couldn't he give her some credit? He couldn't help but crack a smirk, small but present, as he came to stand beside her.

"But you should not make this a habit of turning me into some call-girl. I have a job too," she warned with empty threats. Really, what other way was there to see one another with their situation? If he entered her village, and was caught, it would mean the end for both of them. Meeting him outside the gates was the best, if not the only option, if meeting was so important.

Breathing easier, they stood, staring down at one another.

"Was meeting really necessary?" She had to ask. Even if the mere sight of him put her at ease, it was crazy, unnecessary, and dangerous.

"Are you complaining?-"

"No," she shook her head with closed eyes, "but I-"

"Then," he lightly touched her lips, ceasing her words, "stop." It was a command, she understood; but, there was also a gentleness in his tone knowing the absurdness of his request, understanding the situation and worries as much as her.

Meeting was not vital. Sure, worry and doubt would overtake both their minds without any word from each other, but they would survive. Both of them have survived the best and worst times of life; taking defeat as fuel and pain as knowledge.

But, they had been apart for over two years without a word. Neither of them wanted the fragile bond to be shattered as it hung by their sheer will alone. Even then, how strong could it really be?

They settled on the porch of the house, leaning against the support frames of the timeless house. The air was dry, but sweet with pine.

"This is a fine house," she mentioned admiring the structure, A thin layer of dust covered the inside, but it was well furnished with a small vegetable garden. How long had it been vacant? Why didn't the former residence bother taking their cookery? Had they been running from something?

San dropped the topic, noticing how Sasuke seemed to find the lacquered flooring far more interesting.

Sasuke thought of how his mind always used to wander back to San in the past few weeks; but now, he couldn't get his mind off the mission. Find his brother. Kill his brother. Already, his team was out gathering information about the group known as Akatsuki.

He released a light sigh, _'Not the time...'_

"How have your plans worked out?"

"Simply." He avoided.

She waited for him to continue, but after several seconds of silence she sighed. "So, you've located your brother?"

"In the process," he stated shortly, staring out at the fading light. The less she knew, the better.

"Is that all you're going to tell me?" She probed more with an angled gaze. "All I prefer to," he replied, finishing the topic.

With a pucker of her lips, San gave in, recalling how difficult he was to talk to at times. Then again, San also recalled that when she first met him, the majority of the time she was the one yapping away.

Her attention turned to the forest before her, taking in the vibrant greens and dry browns. She breathed their essence in, feeling the life of the forest just as she sensed the movement of the wind.

"You've always liked the forest."

Looking from him to the forest, she settled on staring at the lines of shrubbery before them. "It reminds me of my mother," she admitted whole heartedly. "It was her element," she spoke lightly with far off eyes.

"_Trees can be shelter, food, warmth, whatever you make them to be. You strive to be as strong as the trunk, as deep as its roots, and as wise as their age."_

"You don't speak much of her, your mother," Sasuke commented off handedly, only for San to look at him pointedly. "You don't speak much of your parents either." He silenced, but she understood his unsaid request.

"My mother wasn't the most liked person. She wasn't from Soyogakura, or Suna, or any village for that matter," San spoke from across him, staring upon the settling forest. "She was from the Chikami clan, a group that gained fame for it's... unique ability, as you're familiar with." A chill ran down their spines and the memories of the cold, emeralds eyes invaded their thoughts before being set aside. "Fumikorosu."

"They gained fame from the great ninja wars, when they hired themselves out as tools, very effective tools, for anyone willing to pay. But, because of the peace, they say that the clan all died out; until, by chance, my father, Fushin, met my mother, Arashiko."

San let free a small chuckle, finding the ironic parallel of the situations. "My father first told me that she hated him, but he never took it to heart because she knew that she was kind, deep down. My mother never failed to voice her distain of anything; yet, all my memories of her were of when she smiled."

Her heart warmed, San placed her palms over it as she tucked her knees to her chest, resting her chin upon them. "I never really lived with my mother, always my father. She would come and go, or sometimes we would go; but never for more than a few days at a time. I don't ever remember thinking the situation was silly until I was six and they had a debate on whether I was to attend an academy, or not, to become a ninja.

"My mother won, and I ended up not going to the ninja academy, instead my father would train me. The village actually did not know of my existence until I was eight, when Orochimaru came…"

"You can stop there," he spoke softly making her turn to him. He heard her heart beating against her chest and the slight tremble in her voice. "I'm not going to make you retell your pain," just as she never made him explain his.

A wordless stare before her legs unfolded and he found her beside him on her knees. Calm grey eyes softened his pitch black ones as he found himself reaching to brush the stray strands of black away from her gaze.

His fingers lingered upon her brow, remembering the textures. Her pulse beneath his.

"You've already put me through more pain that I thought I could ever handle." Her lips met his as the moon met the stars. They were both blissfully ignorant.

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Hope you enjoyed this. Please let me know any questions you may have and what you think of this series.

Thank you for reading!

-Sin


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